Shipments of cutting tools totaled $278.6 million in August 2026, a decrease of 0.8% from the $280.9 million reported in July 2026 but up 32.2% from August 2025. Year-to-date shipments totaled $2.03 billion, up 22.4% from the same period in 2025.
The Importance of Digital Investment, Automation's Foundational Role, and More.
The overall message from MTForecast 2026 was clear: Manufacturing remains positioned for growth, and many companies continue to invest accordingly.
Geissele Automatics’ precision triggers show how Mitsubishi wire EDM technology turns microscopic surface finishes into a competitive advantage.
At IMTS 2026, the biggest conversations focused on what manufacturers will be asked to make next – and the technologies that will help them make more of it.
Chips, cars, power equipment, and aerospace repair: Infineon, Samsung, Mazda, GE Vernova, and GE Aerospace are all expanding across Southeast Asia, and their phased rollouts will keep generating equipment demand for years.
Total U.S. industrial production increased in September 2026 to the highest level since December 2018. Capacity utilization is at its highest level since November 2018.
Robots are foundational to modern manufacturing, but they’re only one tool in a much larger toolbox.
American industrialist Henry Ford once wrote, “The motor enabled machinery to be arranged according to the sequence of work, and that alone has probably doubled the efficiency of industry.”
IMTS is not only where people observe change, but also where they decide how to put it to work. The data from IMTS 2026 reflects that impact.